iWorld
Voot inks three-year digital exclusive content partnership with Ullu
Mumbai: Viacom18 and Voot have announced a content partnership with on-demand streaming platform Ullu. As part of the partnership, Voot will showcase 100 titles from the Ullu library starting from 14 January.
As a part of the three-year digital exclusive deal, Voot will get access to popular original shows from the Ullu library across thriller, crime, horror, and comedy genres in different languages. These shows are headlined by popular faces such as Rakesh Bapat, Hina Khan, Sharib Hashmi, Rohit Roy, Sharad Malhotra, Anupriya Goenka, Iqbal Khan, Tanushree Dutta, Ashmit Patel, Hiten Tejwani, Minissha Lamba, Rashmi Desai, Devoleena Bhattacharjee, among others
Voot titles such as “Tandoor,” “Assi Nabbe Pure Sau,” “Panchali,” “Cyanide,” “26th January” will be available on Ullu’s platform from 14 January and other titles like “Peshawar,” “Paper,” “The Bull of Dalal Street,” “Tadap,” and “Pratiksha” will be available from 21 January 2022 onwards.
“Our partnership with Ullu will help us to widen our content library and meet the ever-growing demands of our viewers,” said Viacom18 Digital Ventures head – AVOD (Voot) Chanpreet Arora. “This partnership gives us access to quality content across genres and languages and is a step forward in cementing Voot’s leadership in the AVOD ecosystem.”
“It has always been our intent to make our content widely accessible and available. Our partnership with Voot provides us an excellent opportunity to do so,” Ullu’s CEO and founder Vibhu Agarwal. “Most of our Ullu Originals have a binge factor and it matches the consumption pattern of binge-watching on Voot. We are sure that Voot viewers will certainly benefit from this association as it offers them content that is fresh and exciting.”
The shows will be available in multiple languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bhojpuri, English amongst others.
iWorld
Meta warns 200 users after fake Whatsapp spyware attack
Italy-targeted campaign used unofficial app to deploy surveillance spyware.
MUMBAI: It looked like a message, but it behaved like a mole. Meta has warned around 200 users most of them in Italy after uncovering a targeted spyware campaign that weaponised a fake version of WhatsApp to infiltrate devices. The attack, first reported by Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata, relied on classic social engineering with a modern twist: persuading users to download an unofficial WhatsApp clone embedded with surveillance software. The malicious application, believed to be developed by Italian firm SIO through its subsidiary ASIGINT, was designed to mimic the real app closely enough to bypass suspicion.
Meta’s security teams identified roughly 200 individuals who may have installed the compromised version, triggering immediate countermeasures. Affected users were logged out of their accounts and issued alerts warning of potential privacy breaches, with the company describing the incident as a “targeted social engineering attempt” aimed at gaining device-level access.
The malicious app was not distributed via official app stores but circulated through third-party channels, where it was presented as a legitimate WhatsApp alternative. Once installed, it reportedly allowed external operators to access sensitive data stored on the device turning a simple download into a potential surveillance gateway.
According to Techcrunch, Meta is now preparing legal action against the spyware developers to curb further misuse. The company, however, has not disclosed details about the specific individuals targeted or the extent of data compromised.
A Whatsapp spokesperson reiterated that user safety remains the top priority, particularly for those misled into installing the fake iOS application. Meanwhile, reports from La Repubblica suggest the spyware may be linked to “Spyrtacus”, a strain previously associated with Android-based attacks that could intercept calls, activate microphones and even access cameras.
The episode underscores a growing reality in the digital age, the threat is no longer just what you download, but where you download it from. As unofficial apps become increasingly convincing, the line between communication tool and covert surveillance is getting harder to spot and far easier to exploit.
